Conceptual Model of Consumer Experiences and Brand Experiences
Adma Sari and Popy Rufaidah
Padjajaran University, Jl Dipatiukur no 46 Building A, Bandung, Indonesia
Keywords: Consumer Experience, Brand Experience, Propositions.
Abstract: One of the determinants of a product purchase decision is the reputation of a product brand chosen by
consumers. However, brand reputation alone is not enough to provide a better experience for consumers in
consuming the product. Consumers need a particular experience with brand to provide a different sensation
of consuming the product. Consumer experiences in products and services are relied on reputation of the
brand. This phenomenon gets increased more attention from various target market. Consumer experiences
play the role as the basis for the consumer to assess the overall quality of the products and services. On the
other hand, manufacturers are constantly doing research on the consumer brand experience. This study were
using literature review as a method to examines whether the determinants of consumer experience and brand
experience have the same indicators., This study examines psychology consumer that underlying consumer
motives experiences. The contribution of this study is to understand the determinant of consumer and brand
experiences. Thus dimension of brand experience will be best used by marketers to enhance in building proper
approach to target market served by the companies.
1 INTRODUCTION
Understanding the consumer and the experience of
consuming goods and services in a brand is important
in the science of marketing. Experience is one of
consideration factors when customer using a brand.
Surely a good experience will affect the decision to
buy a brand whereas bad experience will also affect
consumers not to buy a brand. Understanding
consumer experiences not only appeals to academics,
but also to marketers, by understanding the consumer
experience, producers can create an experience that
appeals to consumers, accompanied by an attractive
marketing strategy.
Unlike brand literatures and the measurements
which we took from psychology, the concept of brand
experience requires a broader, more inter-disciplinary
research approach. Work on experience can be found
in a variety of different fields, ranging from
philosophy and cognitive science, to literature and the
arts. Brakus et al. (2009) distinguished various
experience dimensions (sensory, affective,
intellectual and behavioral) and showed how these
dimensions can be measured.
The research also showed that experiences can
affect certain aspects of consumer behavior
(satisfaction and loyalty).
The purpose of this paper is the explanation of the
various definitions of brand experience (Brand
Experience), for a decade that starts from the first
definition raised in 2009 until now in 2017. The
definition of brand experience that is widely used
refers to the opinion of an expert namely Josko
Brakus, many people cited his writings and have been
applied in various industries.
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Consumer Psychology Model
Named Consumer Psychology Model because they
use consumer perceptions and judgments and their
desire as the basis of using the brand. In contrast to
other information processes, this model uses the
uniqueness of brand characteristics. Brands have a
variety of products and various categories, so through
the information then the brand will form a
relationship with other brands, brands can be
anthropomorphized, and many of them appreciated as
cultural symbols. Consumers will therefore make
communities of such favorable brands.
Characteristics in the brand are known to consumers
and experienced by them to something brand and they
858
Sari, A. and Rufaidah, P.
Conceptual Model of Consumer Experiences and Brand Experiences.
In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Islamic Economics, Business, and Philanthropy (ICIEBP 2017) - Transforming Islamic Economy and Societies, pages 858-863
ISBN: 978-989-758-315-5
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

respond to them. Consumer Psychology Model
(Schmitt, 2012) using the unique characteristics of the
brand (Figure 1).
Model were design based on consumer
understanding of the psychological relationship with
the brand; due to differences in needs, motivation and
goals. Thus divided into 3 layers. The innermost first
layer is object centered, like the consumer receives
information about the usefulness of the brand. The
second layer is a self-centered engagement,
consumers see the brand as something relevant. Then
the outer circle is social engagement with brand,
brand seen from communication / interpersonal and
socio-cultural, and give a sense of community. So if
we move away from the inner layer to the outer, then
the brand has given "meaning" to its customers.
The model uses 5 related brand processes:
identifying, experiencing, integrating, signaling
connecting with the brand. Identifying is consumer
behave to identify brands and categories, brand
associations and relationships between brands.
Experiencing is the consumer responds with
perceived feelings, feelings of pleasure and consumer
involvement of the brand. Integrating means the
whole brand concept through the application of a
combination of brand information, personality and its
relationship with the brand. Signifying is brand
information used as a hint, brand identity and cultural
symbol. Connecting is the individual preferred
attitudes toward brands in a community. Construct
were conceptually different, therefore model may
change.
Figure 1: Consumer psychology model of brands.
Understanding and knowing consumer
underlying wants and expectation will help marketers
to know consideration resides in the consumer mind.
Loyal consumer may not guarantee repeat purchase.
Loyal consumer may not guarantee they would love
the latest product from the brands they love. Since
there are so many brand available and only one brand
will be chosen by consumer. By understanding the
consumer psychology of brand through the three
layers: object-centered, self-centered and social
engagement towards consumer may; we could have
outsmart the related process that were critical to
consumer. The point where we get the best evaluation
toward the brand and the point where we found the
weaknesses of the brand.
2.2 Consumer Experience
Consumer experience is a result of consumer
consumption, therefore experience is considered
objective and related to the experiments consumed
earlier. Every consumer will have a different opinion,
because his experience is something that is
subjective, a person's unique relationship with the
outside is the world of objectivity. Therefore
experience is the sole knowledge of a person, within
a person, not public property or outside of the
consumer. Customer's experience is a culture of a
consumer's life which has become a daily habit or is
repeated by the consumer (Throop, 2003; Turner and
Bruner, 2004). This in turn influences the marketer's
strategy about the consumer's experience. Research is
done based on what is done by the consumer, whether
it is brand observation, perceived feelings or
consumer's beliefs about something that is gained
based on his current thinking. Therefore, research on
the brand can be done based on past experiences,
memories that are remembered about the past, and the
lessons learned based on it.
Consumer Experience is the most extensive and
the most commonly studied part of marketing,
compared to the experience of products and services,
off-line and on-line. Based on that, the stage of
interaction consumption that may occur in the
consumer experience is, 1) pre-consumption that is
seeking information, planning for purchase,
dreaming, budget; 2) Experience of consuming /
buying are options, payment, bundling products,
service providers, and ambience; 3) Consumption
experience is perceived experience, satisfied,
satisfaction / dissatisfaction, appearance / rotation,
and transformation; 4) memories of consumption that
involves the memories of the past, often nostalgic
shaped by telling stories, comparing the past, became
the topic of conversation with friends about the days
passed. Generally a lot of research has been done in
Conceptual Model of Consumer Experiences and Brand Experiences
859

the first and second stage, but along with the
increasing competition between brands then the third
and fourth stage also has started a lot of research.
2.2.1 Experience in Products and Services
Product experience is an interaction between
consumers and products used or potential customer.
What is meant here is how the consumer opinion and
the process of acceptance of product attributes, which
will be a stimulus for consumers in the assessment,
attitude, preferences, desire to buy and consumer
awareness. Product experience can be obtained
directly or indirectly. Direct is when consumers and
products occur direct contact. Indirect when there is a
mediation among them, as when consumers study the
product through advertisement.
Service experience is an interaction between the
consumer and the company when the consumer is
given service as a product. The services experienced
by customers provide different ratings of value. There
are three perspectives of service experience using
service marketing review literature: (1) a
phenomenological perspective -- is the first of the
values derived from the service experience; (2) a
process-based perspective -- the understanding of
service experience is the stage; (3) an outcome-based
service-experience perspective -- to understand the
relationship of a number of service variables with
desired results as an important part of service
experiences.
2.2.2 Off-line and On-line Experience
Experiences can happen online like shopping online
or browsing information, even offline shopping is
shopping through a retail store. Currently in
Indonesia, e-commerce is on the rise and therefore
online sales were more favored than sales through
store services. Understanding the online experience
and its consumer interactions is an important element,
why is that? What makes a website interesting for
consumers to see? Ease of ordering products, ease of
contact, easy order cancellation, ease of payment,
ease of return of products, speed of service between
goods and above all is consumer service, this menu is
the most important key criterion for online shopping
experience.
2.2.3 Consumption Experience
Consumption Experience is the most extensive
experience, meaning there are interrelated or
interconnected relationship between individual,
environment, and situation as input factor.
This literature provides an understanding of the
aspects of consumption is from the emotional /
hedonic side. In 1986, Hirschman and Holbrook;
Holbrook developed the Consumption Experience
called the "TEAV" model (Thoughts, Emotions,
Activities, Values), which in turn is considered the
most complete model. That is the interaction with the
environment (information), and with consumers
especially the existing motivation, and driven by
consumer thinking such as emotions, such as
responsiveness, understanding, emphasis and
perceived; activity is an action and reaction; as well
as the value of benefits that are economical, social,
hedonic and deontology.
2.2.4 Brand Experience
When shopping the attributes of product usability
were important to consumers. Getting exposed,
information will resides in consumer mind. In terms
of product category search needed, this shall rise up
in consumer mind, and set their purchase decision
with respect to a brand: experience, perceptions,
thoughts, and belief. The attributes were crafted as the
strategy of a brand value representation to targeted
markets and in returns, as an appeals to targeted
customer. The attributes were stimuli constitute the
source of subjectivity and responses as “brand
experience”. Therefore the stimuli were the color of
brand identity, forms, entities/appearance/
characteristics/uniqueness, back view design,
slogans, mascots and brand characters. All of these
stimuli were brand related to marketing activities,
consumer were exposed to it and brand would have
many challenges to connect to terraformed a
landscape for brands to share their experience with
consumers. Brand Experience is about storytelling
and building connection, thus brand positioning.
Consumer subjectivity would have an impact toward
their consumption behavior, brand have to cope with
it simultaneously in order to design the updated brand
with its uniqueness.
Stimulus forms most of the subjectivity, the
response in the consumer so that it can be said to be
"consumer experience." Stimulus occur when
customers directly or indirectly interact with a certain
brand as a response of consumer (sensation, feeling
and cognition) and behavioral response of the brand
design and identity, packaging, communication and
environment (Brakus et al., 2009).
Consumer Experience were define in different
context, not only customer, non-customer
experiences regarding a brand were considered Brand
Experience. Brakus et al. (2009) were using the term
ICIEBP 2017 - 1st International Conference on Islamic Economics, Business and Philanthropy
860

cognitive as it more to the sense and social behavior
that is experienced by the customer. As Ding and
Tseng (2015) says that brand experience is consumer
perception through experiential brand experience,
while on the contrary, experiential marketing is using
the point of view of the producer of the brand.
Product Experience occurs when the consumer
interacts with the product, inclusive consumer
searches for a product, learns and evaluates it (Hoch
2002). Store physical environment, employees,
policies and services were interact with customer
would create Shopping and Service Experiences. But
for Consumption Experience, involve feelings,
fantasies and fun as a hedonic dimensions (Holbrook
and Hirschman 1982).
Brand Experience concepts consist of the
realization of brand promise and consistent action,
customer experience (Khan and Rahman, 2015; Ding
and Tseng, 2015); user perception (consumers'
perception; Gob, 2010); consumer senses, formed
when customers use brands - talking about brands -
looking for brand information / promotions / brand
activities etc. (use-talk-seek brand information,
promotions, events and so on), the concept of
consumer focus encompasses brand closeness, brand
engagement, and consumer satisfaction of brand
(customer focused notion including brand
attachment, brand involvement, and consumer
delight; simpler than service experiences, rather than
emotional relationships (Is not the emotional
relationship with the brand; Ishida and Taylor, 2012)
a number of service points with a perceived brand
directly (the sum of consumers' encounters with a
brand; Lin, 2015), a series of products - shopping -
services - and brand consuming experiences (is the
sum of all product , shopping, service, and
consumption experiences; Brakus et al., 2009;
Chattopadhyay and Laborie 2005), early stage of
interaction between brand and consumer (the initial
step in the relationship between brand and consumer,
ultimately determining consumer-brand interaction;
Oliver, 1997), a collection of phenomenon
(cumulative phenomenon, in the sense that it is
continuously enriched by consumers' exposure to the
female brand; consumer interaction through
associations with brands (as consumers interact with
multiple brand cues that may include brand logos,
brand colors, brand tunes, brand characters, brand
stories and other associated brand cues; refers to a
context - spontaneous - thorough, unemotional and
uninvolved (subjective, emotional and self-
implications; Thuy, 2015), subjective (Lin, 2015),
takeaway expression, Kandampully et al., 2015),
governs the functions and emotional elements of a
brand proposition (entails managing functional and
emotional elements of brand offerings; Kandampully
et al., 2015), fantasies, feelings and pleasures
(hedonic in nature, Ding and Tseng, 2015), basic
assessment of brand personality (as the basis to
appraise brand personality; Ding and Tseng, 2015),
the combination of consumption, products, and
shopping experience through customer-brand
interactions (combination of the consumption,
product, service and shopping experiences sourced
from the customer-brand interaction; Khan et al.,
2016), consumers seek products, buy and receive
product services, and consume them (Chen et al.,
2016); consumer behavioral reactions (Bıçakcıoğlu,
2016) dynamic (dynamic, Zarantonello, 2013).
3 METHODOLOGY
The methodology used in this literature review
paper is systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Review literature of related topic from various source
of database, organize the literatures using tables
based on the publish year, searching the related topics
by using several keywords e.g.: Brand Experiences,
Consumer Experiences, Consumer Psychology,
Consumer and Brand Experiences, etc. As mentioned
above, gathered from various sources database,
herewith those literatures were gathered from many
database sources such as; www.sciencedirect.com,
www.elsevier.com, www.tandfonline.com,
www.jstor.org, www.proquest.com, etc. Through this
approach, literature review were analyze to have a
well and comprehensive progress of the brand
experience and related topics to be presented on this
paper.
4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
When consumers shop, consumers are not just
looking for information, shopping, purchased and
consuming brands; but the attributes of product
usability are also a concern of consumers. Consumer
were exposed by it and will resides in consumer mind.
In terms of product category search needed, this shall
rise up in consumer mind, and set their purchase
decision with respect to a brand: experience,
perceptions, thoughts, and belief. The attributes were
crafted as the strategy of a brand value representation
to targeted markets and in returns, as an appeals to
targeted customer. The attributes were stimuli
Conceptual Model of Consumer Experiences and Brand Experiences
861

constitute the source of subjectivity and responses as
“brand experience”.
On the other side, Brands were required to stay
relevant with the consumer evolvement of demanding
era. To be successful in the right holistic brand
experience, we have to be thinking in those same
terms, by creating an inclusive brand experience, such
as name, logo, directions; packaging and marketing
communications, like; advertisements, brochures and
sites; and the neighborhood where brands sell is in
stores and events; to be flexible enough to evolve and
growth with the consumers.
So consumer perceptions, judgments and their
desire were the basis of using the brand, this is the
point of understanding consumer psychology model.
These model are using the unique characteristics of
the brand, since characteristics in the brand are known
to consumers and experienced by them, hence
consumer will respond to. The brand would have been
given “meaning” to its customers if brand were
moving away from object centered (as in the inner
layer) to have a social engagement with brand (the
outer layer).
From this point of view, brand seen from
communication / interpersonal and socio-cultural,
and give a sense of community; therefore brand
would has given "meaning" to its customers, e.g.:
make communities of such favorable brands. Having
literature review study, seen the relationship between
the model and the brand experienced. Thus the
subjectivity they have would give responses to brand
experience. Therefore on this paper, consumer
psychology would be use on the brand experience
variable.
5 CONCLUSIONS
Understanding Brand Experience and its application
will provide knowledge and input for the selection of
marketer strategies in order to meet consumer
expectations, satisfy the needs of consumers through
sold brands, and at the same time can push the number
of consumer churn rate to the lowest point. The ability
to meet Brand Experience consumers will make the
product able to compete in its industry as well as to
help the research and development activities of the
brand to have the right value and the right results.
Therefore Brand Experience using Consumer
Psychology Consumer model would be best represent
in order to understand consumer in details. By
combining the psychology of brand through brand
experience, brand may have an accurate findings and
design the better result for brand to have a great brand
plan to be put in overall brand concept.
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